Charles Uwaramutse

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to examine the influence of co-operative characteristics on the financial performance of Irish Potato Farmer Co-operatives (IPFCs) in Northern and Western Provinces, of Rwanda. Design/Methodology/Approach - The study employed a relational research design in cross-sectional research. A purposive sampling technique was used in selecting 32 IPFCs out of  64 observations that complied with audited financial reports for the period 2018 and 2019 were the primary data used for the research. Key Informants Interviews (KIIs), and Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) were employed for data collection. Panel regression analysis was used as it is suitable to deal with fixed effects (FE) or random effects (RE) error components presented in the model. Findings - The paper results showed that liquidity, leverage, the number of employees, the value of total assets and the value of share capital are significant factors that contribute to financial performance measure...

Farmer cooperatives are considered the backbone of agricultural development and the main pillars in facilitating socio and economic development. However, their contribution is small in many countries due to governance problems. This paper investigated the effect of governance on financial performance among Irish potato farmers' cooperatives (IPFCs). To address the objectives of the paper, data were collected from 32 primary cooperatives that had complied with audited financial reports in Northern and Western Provinces. Questionnaire, focus group discussions and key informant interviews were used to collect primary data. Secondary data from audited financial statements were collected to analyse selected co-operatives' financial performance in terms of Return On Assets. Pearson correlation and multiple regression were used for data analysis. The results showed that members' participation, accountability, transparency, and leadership are significant factors contributing to the financial performance of IPFCs. However, the relationship between policy compliance on financial performance, cooperative structure and financial performance was not statistically significant. As revealed, most IPFCs experience poor leadership to run their cooperatives smoothly. Based on the findings, Rwanda Cooperative Agency (RCA) and other community development partners should organise ongoing capacity-building training for IPFCs' leaders, to ensure self-governance and curtail the interference of local authorities within the administration of cooperatives under the pretext of reported mismanagement and poor leadership. This paper generates facts to inform IPFCs, community development partners, and policymakers about the major factors that can affect the financial performance of farmers' cooperatives. In addition, the paper contributes to the literature by analysing governance practices that affect the financial performance of agricultural cooperatives in developing countries perspective.
Keywords: Governance, Financial performance, Farmer co-operatives, Irish
potatoes, Rwanda

Satisfaction of members with services offered by cooperatives is key for a cooperative success. However, it remains questionnable whether cooperatives have really achieved their expected objectives. This paper analysed the determinants of farmers' satisfaction with access to services offered by Irish Potato Farmer Cooperatives in Northern and Western Provinces of Rwanda. Originality/Value: This paper took a holistic perspective to cover all services that members expect from their cooperatives .

Cooperatives are considered key vehicles for increased market orientation among smallholder farmers. Nonetheless, there are limited studies on its influence on the performance of cooperatives in developing and emerging economies. The paper examined the effect of market orientation dimensions on financial performance among Irish potato farmer cooperatives (IPFCs) in Rwanda. Data were collected by interviewing 387 members from 32 cooperatives. Secondary data from audited financial statements were collected to analyze financial performance between selected IPFCs in terms of Return on Equity (ROE). Pearson correlation and multiple linear regression were used for data analysis. The results showed a positive significant relationship between customer orientation and financial performance (b = 0.091, p < 0.001), and competitor orientation and financial performance (b = 0.065, p < 0.001), while supplier orientation has shown a negative correlation (b =-0.023, p < 0.05). Furthermore, the results revealed a non-significant relationship between inter-functional coordination and financial performance (b = 0.03, p > 0.001). Based on the findings, the most IPFCs experience ineffective market orientation due to limited financial capacity, which impairs their financial performance. In order to raise capital and implement the market orientation concept, it is recommended that IPFC's leaders address the barriers that prevent members from increasing their shareholdings. This study could serve as a framework for IPFCs leaders, policy makers and community development partners to formulate appropriate strategies for IPFCs to be market-oriented. The study contributes to the literature by analyzing market orientation dimensions that affect the financial performance of agricultural cooperatives in developing and emerging economies.

Satisfaction of members with services offered by cooperatives is key for a cooperative success. However, it remains questionnable whether cooperatives have really achieved their expected objectives. This paper analysed the determinants of farmers' satisfaction with access to services offered by Irish Potato Farmer Cooperatives in Northern and Western Provinces of Rwanda. Originality/Value: This paper took a holistic perspective to cover all services that members expect from their cooperatives .

The purpose of this paper is to examine the influence of cooperative characteristics on the financial performance of Irish Potato Farmer Cooperatives (IPFCs) in Northern and Western Provinces, of Rwanda. Design/Methodology/Approach-The study employed a relational research design in crosssectional research. A purposive sampling technique was used in selecting 32 IPFCs out of 64 observations that complied with audited financial reports for the period 2018 and 2019 were the primary data used for the research. Key Informants Interviews (KIIs), and Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) were employed for data collection. Panel regression analysis was used as it is suitable to deal with fixed effects (FE) or random effects (RE) error components presented in the model. Findings-The paper results showed that liquidity, leverage, the number of employees, the value of total assets and the value of share capital are significant factors that contribute to financial performance measured in terms of Return on Assets (ROA) and Return on Equity (ROE). The paper also revealed a limited financial capacity for most IPFCs in the study area, challenging their growth. Research Limitation: Legal, political factors, technological and cultural factors influencing the performance of farmer cooperatives were not considered in this paper. Practical Implications-The recommendations will mainly assist IPFCs in achieving desired financial performance and provision of expected services to members. IPFCs are recommended to mobilise their members to increase their shareholding, to raise capital for their cooperatives and thus improve performance levels. Social Implication: This paper generates facts to inform stakeholders such as policymakers and non-governmental organizations. Originality/Value-This paper took a holistic perspective to cover all the cooperative specific characteristics in the performance evaluation.

Basing on National Export Strategy elaborated in 2011 and aligned with EDPRS and vision 2020, the export of products and services could be increased to 11.5% in 2020. However few companies are committed to comply with the requirements of Quality Management System which are helpful for market access. Few companies which are ISO certified have gained acknowledgement and credibility of their products and services at the international level. So far, in Rwanda, there was no study done on the role played by certification to ISO standards in the business success. It is therefore, this study aimed to assess the contribution of ISO 9001:2008 certification to the market competitiveness of manufacturing companies in Rwanda. The methodologies employed Spearman Correlation coefficient and student t-test.The findings report a significant difference between sales revenue, Return on Investment (ROI), and market share for the period before and after certification (in favor of after certification). F...

This study dealt with the impact of governance practices on the inclusion of youth and women in rice cooperatives in Rwanda. The main research problem is that poor governance practices in cooperatives do not allow this vulnerable group of people; the youth and women to involve in the cooperative activities as stipulated in the principles governing cooperatives. The general objective of the present study was to assess the governance practices and their impact on the inclusion of women and youth among rice cooperatives in Rwanda. This study used descriptive and correlational research design. To determine the extent to which the variables were related, the researchers made recourse on a survey to record the data. Simple random and stratified sampling techniques were used to sample 387 respondents. A questionnaire was administered to selected members of the cooperatives. Data analysis using regression analysis and correlation coefficients and interpretation of results showed indeed that the governance practices not only increased the inclusion levels of the youth and women (the R square =.348) but also encouraged them to train and participate more in various activities that would help them develop economically and socially. The results have also showed that inclusion of youth and women is highly predicted by engagement (P-value = .000), leadership (P-value = .012) and accountability (P-value = .016). It can be concluded that a combination of governance practices has a pivotal role in bringing about the inclusion of the youth and women. This study recommends rice cooperatives in the study area to implement the governance practices that suit entire community members so that more youth and women are encouraged to join.